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No case against Intifadah three

The Dutch authorities have decided not to prosecute the Socialist Party MPs Harry van Bommel and Sadet Karabulut and activist Gretta Duisenberg for inciting hatred, discrimination and violence.

In January last year they took part in a demonstration in Amsterdam protesting against an incursion into the Gaza Strip by the Israeli army.

A video of the demonstration which appeared on internet showed the three shouting "Intifadah! Intifadah! Free Palestine!"

Renowned criminal lawyer Bram Moszkowitz submitted a complaint about them and other demonstrators who were shouting "Hamas! Hamas! Give the Jews the gas!"

The Public Prosecutor's Office has ruled that the "Intifadah" slogan did not constitute a criminal offence, on the grounds that an intifadah or "uprising" can be violent or non-violent. The "Hamas" slogan was judged as inciting hatred but it was not possible to establish who in the crowd was guilty.

It also ruled that the three could not be held responsible for slogans shouted by other demonstrators.

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This article is part of the RNW archive. RNW is the former Radio Netherlands Worldwide or Wereldomroep, which was founded as the Dutch international public broadcaster in 1947. In 2011 Dutch government’s decided to cut funding and shift RNW in 2013 from the ministry of Education, Culture and Science to the ministry of Foreign Affairs. More information about RNW’s current activities can be found at http://www.rnw.org/about-rnw